1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fire escape mask, and more particularly to a moistened fire escape mask and pull-apart storage structure for the mask. The mask and pull-apart storage structure store flat and the mask is configured with slits in a peripheral edge thereof to adhere tightly to the face of the wearer when in use.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well-known that smoke inhalation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burn deaths by roughly two to one. The percentage of fire deaths attributable to smoke inhalation has been increasing approximately one percent annually since at least 1979.
Masks suitable for use to prevent or reduce smoke inhalation in a fire are well known in the art. The most common type of mask is that used by professional firefighters. This type of mask consists of a mask portion covering the face, an air tank containing a supply of air, and an air regulator. While this type of mask configuration is suitable for professional firefighters, it is too expensive, complex, and bulky for general consumer use.
According to the fire safety guidebook Get Out Alive, which is endorsed by the U.S. Fire Administration, the recommended and almost universally endorsed method of filtering smoke during a fire is to place a wet cloth over the nose and mouth before escaping. The wet cloth absorbs some of the smoke particles and filters noxious substances in the smoke, thereby reducing smoke inhalation. While the use of a wet cloth will not eliminate smoke inhalation, its purpose is to reduce smoke inhalation for a sufficient amount of time to escape the smoky condition. The more time that is available to the person to escape before being overcome by smoke, the greater the likelihood of survival.
A number of devices have been proposed to perform the function of the wet cloth described above. Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,060, relates to a fire resistant mask which is made of a flexible breathable porous material impregnated with a solution containing ammonium biborate, ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, lanolin, lemon fragrance, and water. The mask is breathable and has adsorption capacity for capturing smoke particles and for filtering gases. The mask is constructed of a polyurethane foam covered with terry cloth, and is attached to the face of the user with an elastic strap. The fire resistant masks are packaged wet in moisture barrier packaging.
This type of device suffers from several shortcomings. First, it does not seal well over the mouth and nose of the user. As a result, smoke is able to bypass the mask, thereby reducing its effectiveness. Second, this type of device, while requiring less storage space than the air-canister type mask discussed above, is awkwardly shaped and requires more storage space than is otherwise desirable. As a result, smoke escape masks of this type do not appear to have met with commercial success. Other such bulky mask are shown in Klein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,182, and Steinberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,799.
Vandeweghe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,991 discloses a smoke escape hood that includes a porous face mask over a portion of the face of the wearer. The smoke escape hood is stored flat, with the face mask kept wet by a moisture impermeable sealing strip. The hood is made of a fire and heat resistant sheet material, such as tetrafluorocarbon, and the mask is constructed of a plurality of rectangular plies of woven fabric. The mask itself is moistened with water or other fluid, and may include granular carbon. When the hood is placed over the head of the wearer, draw strings are provided on the lower portion of the mask to tie the mask to the head of the wearer.
This type of device, and others like it that attach to the wearer using a band, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,643,182 and 5,400,780, also do not provide a tight seal around the face of the wearer, thereby enabling smoke to bypass the mask. Also, from a practical standpoint, a user of the Vandeweghe device may be disinclined to wear a hood over his/her head.
Another type of mask that has been proposed utilizes pressure-sensitive adhesive to attach the mask to the face of the user. Devices of this type are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,467,799; 4,354,489; 4,240,420; 4,984,302; 4,004,584 and 3,695,265. While, in principle, a pressure-sensitive adhesive attachment to the wearer provides a tight seal for preventing smoke from bypassing the filter, in practice, the design of these masks ignores the fact that the mask may be required to be worn by users of different sizes, with different facial features. In practice, when the masks are applied to the faces of those wearers whose size/facial features do not correspond to the size/shape of the mask, some creasing of the mask will occur, thereby enabling smoke to bypass the mask.
To the inventor's knowledge, despite the near-universal awareness that covering the nose and mouth of a person with a wet cloth in a smoky condition greatly improves the likelihood of survival, no mask for this purpose has achieved commercial success. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fire escape mask that may be stored flat for convenience, that provides a tight seal around the face of wearers of different sizes/facial contours to prevent smoke from bypassing the mask, and that overcomes the other aforementioned shortcomings of prior mask designs.